Process and Apparatus for Data Registration

1. A process of bringing first and second data sets into registration or conformity with each other by electronic methods, each of the first and second data sets being a representation of a particular physical object, the process comprising: having a plurality of candidate data sets, each candidate data set being a differently shifted or distorted form of a reference data set, the reference data set being a representation of the physical object; comparing the first data set with each of the candidate data sets and in dependence on the comparisons determining a first transformation that brings into registration or conformity with each other the reference data set and a particular candidate data set out of the plurality of candidate data sets which provides a best match with the first data set; comparing the second data set with each of the candidate data sets and in dependence on the comparisons determining a second transformation that brings into registration or conformity with each other the reference data set and a particular candidate data set out of the plurality of candidate data sets which provides a best match with the second data set; and bringing the first and second data sets into registration or conformity with each other in dependence on the first and second transformations, wherein the plurality of candidate data sets are generated by applying a transformation to the reference data set, the transformation being changed from one application of the transformation to another application of the transformation such that each of a plurality of candidate data sets is a differently shifted or distorted reference data set, and wherein said applications of the transformation comprises a first main application of the transformation such that at least one predetermined variable of the transformation is changed in a substantially constant manner from one application of the transformation to another application of the transformation; and a second main application of the transformation such that the at least one predetermined variable is changed in a varying manner from one application of the transformation to another application of the transformation.

2. The process according to claim 1 in which the reference data set is a representation of the particular physical object.

3. The process according to claim 1 in which the reference data set is configured such that each of substantially all data sets representing different forms of the same type of physical object and to which type the particular physical object belongs can be registered with or brought into conformity with the reference data set.

4. The process according to claim 1 in which the reference data set is a representation of a second particular physical object with the first and second data sets being representations of a first particular physical object, the first and second particular physical objects being of a same kind of physical object.

5. The process according to claim 1 in which the candidate data sets are formed as part of a non time critical process and the step of bringing the first and second data sets into registration or conformity with each other is carried out during a time critical process.

6. The process according to claim 5 in which the steps of comparing the first and second data sets are carried out as part of a non time critical process.

7. The process according to claim 1 in which the first and second data sets are brought into registration or conformity with each other in dependence on one of the first and second transformations and an inverse of the other of the first and second transformations.

8. The process according to claim 1 in which a data set is a representation of a physical object in at least two dimensions.

9. The process according to claim 1 further comprising providing a registered or conforming data set in dependence on the step of bringing the first and second data sets into registration or conformity with each other.

10. The process according to claim 9 further comprising conveying the registered or conforming data set to at least one of: a Visual Display Unit (VDU); a film; and a Picture, Archiving and Communications (PACS) system.

11. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the second main application is carried out after carrying out the first main application.

12. The process according to claim 1 , wherein variation in a manner in which the at least one predetermined variable is changed from one application of the transformation to another application of the transformation is determined in accordance with a multi-parameter functional minimisation approach.

13. The process according to claim 1 , wherein variation in a manner in which the at least one predetermined variable is changed from one application of the transformation to another application of the transformation may be determined in dependence on an outcome of comparison of at least one of the first data set and the second data set with the candidate data sets.

14. A process of bringing first and second data sets into registration or conformity with each other by electronic methods, each of the first and second data sets being a representation of a particular physical object, the process comprising: having a plurality of candidate data sets, each candidate data set being a differently shifted or distorted form of a reference data set, the reference data set being a representation of the physical object; comparing the first data set with each of the candidate data sets and in dependence on the comparisons determining a first transformation that brings into registration or conformity with each other the reference data set and a particular candidate data set out of the plurality of candidate data sets which provides a best match with the first data set; comparing the second data set with each of the candidate data sets and in dependence on the comparisons determining a second transformation that brings into registration or conformity with each other the reference data set and a particular candidate data set out of the plurality of candidate data sets which provides a best match with the second data set; and bringing the first and second data sets into registration or conformity with each other in dependence on the first and second transformations, wherein the process further comprising: compressing each of the plurality of candidate data sets to form a respective compressed candidate data set and compressing each of the first and second data sets to form compressed first and second data sets, the compressing of a data set comprising: determining a plurality of weighting vectors in dependence on predetermined variables of a transformation used to obtain the candidate data sets, the number of weighting vectors being equal to the number of predetermined variables; multiplying all data in a data set by each weighting vector to provide data elements of a compressed data set, and in which weighting vectors are binary, the weighting vectors being operative as a mask to select at least one portion of the data.

15. The process according to claim 14 in which the step of determining a plurality of weighting vectors comprises determining a rate of change of a data set, which is undergoing compression, with respect to at least one of the predetermined variables.

16. A non-transitory computer storage that stores executable program instructions for causing a computer to perform the process according to claim 1 .

17. A non-transitory computer storage according to claim 16 , comprising at least one of: a memory record medium; a read only memory; and a computer memory.

18. A computer system comprising a non-transitory computer storage that stores executable program instructions for causing a computer to perform the process according to claim 1 .

19. An electrical apparatus operative to bring a first data set and a second data set into registration or conformity with each other, each of the first and second data sets being a representation of a particular physical object, the electrical apparatus comprising a digital processor and a data store, the data store being operative to store: a plurality of candidate data sets, each candidate data set being a differently shifted or distorted form of a reference data set, the reference data set being a representation of the physical object; and the digital processor being operative: to compare the first data set with each of the candidate data sets and, in dependence on the comparisons, to determine a first transformation that brings into registration or conformity with each other the reference data set and a particular candidate data set out of the plurality of candidate data sets which provides a best match with the first data set; to compare the second data set with each of the candidate data sets and, in dependence on the comparisons, to determine a second transformation that brings into registration or conformity with each other the reference data set and a particular candidate data set out of the plurality of candidate data sets which provides a best match with the second data set; and to bring the first and second data sets into registration or conformity with each other in dependence on the first and second transformations, wherein the digital processor being further operative to: generate the plurality of candidate data sets by applying a transformation to the reference data set, the transformation being changed from one application of the transformation to another application of the transformation such that each of a plurality of candidate data sets is a differently shifted or distorted reference data set, and wherein the applications comprises a first main application of the transformation such that at least one predetermined variable of the transformation is changed in a substantially constant manner from one application of the transformation to another application of the transformation; and a second main application of the transformation such that the at least one predetermined variable is changed in a varying manner from one application of the transformation to another application of the transformation.

20. A non-transitory computer storage that stores executable program instructions for causing a computer to perform the process according to claim 14 .